The Satty Zhuldyz rapid and blitz tournament is taking place in Astana as a side event of the World Championship match. A number of international chess stars are participating. Karsten Müller has been following the games, looking for endgame highlights. Find here seven instructive positions, with on-point analysis by our in-house endgame expert. | Pictured: Hou Yifan | Photo: Anna Shtourman
The Satty Zhuldyz Chess Festival is one of the many side events of the World Championship match between Ian Nepomniachtchi and Ding Liren in Astana. Twelve players, among them former World Champion Vladimir Kramnik, were invited to play a rapid and blitz tournament. With a score of 3.5/4 Arjun Erigaisi had the best start in the strong and attractive field. | Photo: Vincent Keymer during the drawing of lots | Photos: Maria Emelianova and Damir Kuzhumov for Satty Shuldyz
Organized by the Bibisara Assaubayeva Foundation and the National Lottery of the Republic of Kazakhstan, the Satty Zhuldyz (“Lucky Stars”) Rapid and Blitz Chess Tournament is set to take place on April 20-25. The likes of Vladimir Kramnik, Hou Yifan and Levon Aronian will be joined by a host of rising stars, including Bibisara Assaubayeva, Vincent Keymer and Arjun Erigaisi.
The very competitive European Chess Championships will take place in March, with the open event set to start on March 3 in Vrnjacka Banja, Serbia. We take a brief look at the 23 years of history of the championships, which are traditionally taken very seriously by ambitious players, whose main objective often is to get a ticket to the FIDE World Cup. | Pictured: 2022 European champion Matthias Bluebaum
The new generation of chess stars is here, with no fewer than nine players aged 19 or younger rated above 2650 at the time. In a 7-part series, we will look at the performances of the top juniors in 2022. The second-youngest in the list only older than Gukesh is Praggnanandhaa. In 2022, the 17-year-old faced both ambitious rising stars (in open events) and the very best in the world (mostly online). And he excelled in both types of tournaments! | Photo: <a href="https://en.chessbase.com/author/alina-l-ami">Alina l’Ami</a>